


The Wilting Flower

by LostRose0



Category: Vampire Knight
Genre: Angst, Cancer, Crying, Dark, Depression, Disease, Duty, F/M, Fanfic, Fanfiction, Forbidden Love, Hospital, Hurt, Illness, Lies, Love, Out of character in certain moments with good reason, Pain, Persona 3 - Freeform, Persona 3 reference, Romance, Sadness, Secrets, Tears, Tragedy, exaustion, fatigue, repost, revision, sick, time limit, tired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-06-09 20:05:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6921145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostRose0/pseuds/LostRose0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything's normal in Cross Academy. Well, as normal as things could be. At least, until Yuki gets a letter from the hospital. She can't tell anyone about what is inside of that letter. Especially, not Kaname. Given a set time limit, She begins to gradually speak her mind more in the coming days, and taking more risks to be herself. 'Cause, If she's going to die, she just isn't going to take what makes her unhappy anymore. Re-posted, and Revised!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: There is a single reference to Persona 3, other than that, this is not a cross over and stands alone.

Zero and Kaname-senpai were arguing again.

 

Heated words and snappy comebacks - one after another filled the air, making it tense in the room. They were arguing about rules for the night class. I just got back from the hospital in town. I went for my annual check-up and had to get some blood tests done since I've been out there getting bit by vampires that I get unlucky and mess-up while fighting. Who knows what infections I can get or have gotten - But, of course, with my luck, right when I back, I see them.

Two vampires.

Bickering about the school.

Really?

Zero's teeth are clenched and he's sputtering out yells while Kaname-senpai just leans back in almost proud manner, keeping his cool.

I sigh in an annoyed manner.

 _‘Boys.’_  

Neither of them has even spoken a word to me. When I walked in, Zero kept on yelling, not even noticing my presence and Kaname just glances at me before sending another cold comeback. The chairman is between them, obviously trying to referee them. I don’t think he’s doing a good job…. Nothing seems to make those two stop butting heads. He sighs and steps past them, giving up.

 He places a soothing hand on my shoulder and softly says to me, "Welcome back, Yuki. I'll make you some tea." He leads me to the dining room and I sit down as he fills a kettle with water and a tea bag, and sets it on the stove to warm.

“So, Yuki...How did your check up go?", he asks. I notice that he's happier than when he was in the other room.

"Oh, it went fine. They just did some blood work to check for anything. They should send us the results tomorrow.", I reply, tapping my fingers on the edge of the table, absentmindedly.

“Blood work?", he repeats confusedly. "I thought that they don't usually check your blood unless-"

He is interrupted by Zero bursting in.

"Who the hell does he think he is?! Just because he's a pureblood doesn't mean he can screw with me! He's nothing but a-" The chairman coughs.

 

"Whatever." Zero scoffs and sits down beside me. I look at him and he's just muttering and grumbling away about Kaname-sempai.

"What were you two fighting about anyhow?", I ask. Chairman answers for Zero, "Kaname asked for Zero to be placed in the night class so they control his ‘condition’ better."

 

Zero angrily shouts, "Which is complete shit! He just wants to be able to tell me what to do and control me. I won't become one of his 'loyal followers'!"

 

"Zero-", chairman tried to say something but Zero bolts up from his chair. The kettle screeches as Zero's anger reaches a head. Minutes pass by as Zero stands in place, the anger I'm sure is boiling inside just like the water in that pot.

He's quiet, obviously in thought, before saying lowly, "You know what? Fine. I'll join the night class so I can kill all of the beasts in human form!"

"Zero, wait!", I get up and try to stop him, but he bolts out in a fit of rage.

 

The chairman sighs and shakes his head before picking up the kettle and pouring the tea into some ups. He brings me a cup of tea and sits down. He motions for me to sit down across from him, and I do so. "He's a good boy. He'll be okay.", he says calmly before sipping his tea and burning his tongue. "Oww Ow owwie!"

 

I giggle softly and blow off my tea before sipping.

* * *

 

I opened the door to my dorm room, after a long night of patrolling, I decided to go to bed. I change into my nightgown and get into the bed opposite of Yori. The bed springs creak quietly as I get into it and get comfortable. I am completely exhausted so it doesn't take long to fall asleep.

 

In the midst of my dreams, I hear a voice.

 

The voice that has whispered to me ever since I was little.

 

**_'Time waits for no one._ **

**_It delivers us all equally to the same end._ **

**_You who wish to safeguard the future, How ever limited it may be..._ **

**_You will be given two months._ **

**_Go forth without falter,_ **

**_With your heart as your guide.'_ **

 

I woke up to the sun, not Yori shaking me, so that means I slept in. There must not be any class today. I get dressed in my simple turtleneck sweater and skirt, and head down for breakfast. I sit down beside Zero, smiling brightly. "Good morning!"

 

Zero just mutters a yeah and resumes glaring at air. I guess he must still be mad about last night. The chairman bursts in with a tray full of home-cooked food, he glides around being happy and cheerful. "Good morning, my beautiful daughter and handsome son! I hope you're hungry~!"

 

Zero mutters I'm not hungry, and I nod and smile. He puts the food in front of us and Zero slowly starts to eat while I dig in. After we finish eating, the chairman hands me a envelope, "Here, this came for you Yuki. It must be from the hospital."

 

I take the letter from him and open the envelope and read the letter quickly. I look up at the chairman and smile, "There were no problems! I'm in the clear." The chairman smiled back and said, "That's great Yuki~!" I nodded and smiled happily. Zero completely ignored me, but I didn't mind.

 

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be back.", I get up and head to the bathroom. I walked in and closed the door quietly behind me.

 

I leaned against the door and slid down it until I was sitting.

 

I opened up and read the letter over and over again. The simple black printed words burned into my mind.

 

_'Dear Yuuki Cross, and to whom may concern for Miss Cross,_

 

_Miss Cross has been found with anomalies in her blood._

_I have run a specific number of tests, and I’m afraid it’s bad news._

_I regret to inform you that we have found cancer cells in her bloodstream._

_  
_ _I wish I could ask of you to come back in and begin treatment, but sadly this type of Blood Cancer is very rare. We caught it too late. The current treatments we have available will not be beneficial to Miss Cross._

 

_I am very sorry to tell you that she only has a few weeks to two months, at best. It may seem cruel that we have to give such advice, but the best thing for Miss Cross right now would be to make her time left as comfortable as possible. I can tell you that she will suffer extreme fatigue when the symptoms begin to appear. Her body is literally going to shut down, so she should avoid copious amounts of physical activity._

 

_I wish you the best,_

 

_Dr. Hoshido’_

  


_‘What?’_

  


My arm drops limp as tears pricks my eyes and roll down my cheeks. I clasp a hand over my mouth to keep sound from coming out as sobs rack my body.

  


_‘No...I haven't...I...I…’_

  


As much as I want to scream and shout, I can't.

  


I just have to sit here and take it silently.

  


My body trembles as my body jolts with every sob. ‘ _...There's still so much I wanna do...I haven't even_ _' did it' _ _yet...Why? Why now? Why me?’_

 

I stare at the ground, my cheeks red from emotion and tears staining my cheeks.

 

_‘...What did I do to deserve this?...’_


	2. Prologue Part 2

I got up from where I was crying and flushed the toilet to sound like I finished. I ran the sink and splashed my face with some water, trying to get my act together. I was still breathing ragged and my eyes were puffy. I thought of nothing but the words "two months", that rang in my mind. 

 

More tears filled my eyes, but I wiped them away quickly. ‘ _ I have to be strong for them. If they found out.... I don't know how they would react. Then there's Kaname.....I  _ **_definitely_ ** _ can not tell him. If there is one thing I don't want to see before I die, it's him looking at me with those lonely eyes like he always has. But keeping secrets from a pureblood? ‘ _

 

I laugh bitterly.

 

_ ‘There isn't much that harder to do than that.’ _

 

I take the papers and stare at them.  _ ‘What am I gonna do with these? Should I...should I get rid of them? Rip it up? Erg....loud and messy. Burn them? Well... as good as burning them sounds, How the flip am I gonna do it? Much less, do it without anybody knowing. How about-’ _

 

I hear a knock on the door.

 

"Yuki, are you okay? You've been in there for a while.", Zero asks.

 

"I-i'm fine Zero. J-Just a few m-more minutes, please." I curse inwardly at my stuttering.

 

_ ‘Get it together, Yuki.’ _

 

Zero is quiet for a few minutes before saying, "Okay. Well, don't take too long. We're going to town soon."

 

I hear him walk away and I let out a sigh of relief. He didn't see through me. I stuff the letter into one of my boots.  _ ‘I'll throw it away.....I'll make an excuse to get away from them, and I'll go throw it away in my room.’  _ I look at the mirror. I dry the last of my tears and compose myself. I try hard to smile. 

 

_ ‘There's nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing. I… I am happy. I am  _ **_happy_ ** _. I am-’ _

 

I unlock the bathroom door and quickly get out before I start to cry again.

 

I walk out and see Zero on the couch and the Headmaster in the Kitchen, cleaning up the dishes from breakfast, humming a tune to himself.

 

I walk directly past the couch, not wanting to talk to Zero, in case my eyes are still puffy or my voice breaks. I walk to the dining table, and it has some mugs on it. It's the tea we had with our breakfast. I look around cautiously, to make sure nobody's watching, before grabbing my mug and downing the whole thing in one drink. ‘ _ Hopefully, this will help my voice to keep from breaking since I was crying.’ _

 

"Whoa! Yuki, darling, you could have told me you were thirsty! I would have made a bigger pot of tea!", I hear the headmaster say from behind me. I turn my head so fast that I get whiplash. I yelp in pain and rub my neck. I get the courage to raise my eyes to him and softly reply, "It's okay, Daddy. This was all I needed." The expression on his face suddenly goes rigid. 

 

My heart nearly stops.  _ ‘He can tell can't he? That I've been crying? What if he starts and asking, and I have to tell him? He'll make it into whole big deal and everyone will know!’ _

 

"Yuki....", He starts. I start to panic internally as one half on my brain starts a catfight with the other. Tell him, get it off your chest. Don't tell him, act like it's okay. Then suddenly he hugs me. 

 

"You called me Daddy! Oh, my precious baby!" He cries happy tears dramatically as he starts kissing my cheeks and my forehead and hugging me repeatedly. 

 

"You call me Daddy~ I call you daughter~", he singsongs, as he starts to pick me up and swing me around. "Father! FATHER STOP."

 

He let's out a small, "Oh.", as he realizes he's hugging me too tightly and I can't breathe. He let's go before rushing back into the kitchen. Being able to breathe again, I sigh and shake my head, smiling softly. "Yuki, we're going to town in 10 minutes.", he calls out.

 

"Okay! I'm gonna go to my room and change before we go out, Daddy!" I walk out, hearing a giggle come from the kitchen as I pass Zero again, to leave. What I hear Zero mutter from behind me makes me flinch, but I keep walking and head to my room.

 

"....Since when do you call that man 'Daddy'?...."

* * *

 

I get into my room and look around. Yori is nowhere to be found, so let out a sigh of relief, and I take out the paper. 

 

I look at once more. I'm still waiting for the words on it to change. For somehow the words to morph and say that everything was fine. I was waiting for what seemed like forever, but only a few minutes, just staring at it. 

 

I close my eyes and steel myself. 

 

_ ‘They're not changing. This is real.’ _

 

I throw it into the trashcan near my dresser, change into something more suitable to go to town in. I walk out into the hallway, but not before I look back at the paper in the trashcan one last time. Seeing the words unchanged, finally snuffed the last candle on what hope I had that this was just a bad dream.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this chapter was very short, I promise the next one will be longer.


	3. 1st Day of Sickness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: From now on, I shall be telling this story in a 3rd person POV to capture Yuki’s emotions more accurately. Thank you! 
> 
> Btw, the time-line for this story is post-Shizuka

_**1st day of sickness, (60 days left)** _

* * *

"Wow! It's so nice out today!", Yuki stated in amazement as a brilliant blue covered the morning skies.

Yuki giggled as some children ran past her fighting each other with toy swords. This was a nice way to spend their free time. _Or start off the time she had left._

The chairman agreed quickly. "Yes, it is, Yuki! Such a nice day to be out and about, right, Zero?"

"Yeah. Sure.", Zero commented, a small smile breaking through his cold demeanor. He can't help but smile at Yuki's happiness.

They were out to pick up the supplies for the academy Day Class dorms. The Night dorms had their supplies shipped to them privately, but the day class required more laborious activities to get their supplies.

Yuki shook her head reprovingly and admired what the city's markets had to offer. Colorful tapestries were hung up all around, and the scent of Takoyaki filled Yuki's nostrils. There must have been a fair today! Yuki held out her arms and let the Chairman place heavy bags into her arms. She turned her head to try and see where the scent as coming from. "Mmm! Do you smell that, father?" The chairman smiled at the name that had flowed so easily out of her mouth and nodded.

"Do you want to get some?" Yuki nodded and was about to speak again before Zero interrupted her. "Do we really have the time for that? We need to get the supplies back to the dorm." Yuki's smile fell before nodding reluctantly. The chairman began to object, seeing his adoptive daughter's face fill with disappointment, but she spoke up. "It's alright. I can always get some Takoyaki later. My hands are full anyways."

They began their trek back to academy, Yuki slowing down to admire the merchandise for sale in the town. She took in every color, smell, sight, and sound, hoping to burn it in her mind. This is probably the last time she'll ever see a fair, so she wanted to memorize it. "Yuki? Come on! Let's get back already!" Zero called out, with an annoyed tinge to his voice, being much farther up ahead then her. "C-Coming!" Yuki rushed forward, making sure not to bump into anyone.

  
"What's gotten into you?" Zero asked her in a sullen manner. "Nothing, really!", she replied cheerfully,"I was just appreciating the fair. I wish we had more time so we could come here to enjoy it."

Zero raised his eyebrow at her. "We'll go next year, okay? For now, we've got to get these back." Yuki's happy expression fell into one of emptiness. Zero did not see it, and she was glad for it. Nevertheless, she nodded and kept up the pace with them.

  
As much as she wanted to think happy thoughts, the letter still weighed heavy in her mind. She suspected it would for a while. _What would Zero do once she's gone?_   She felt her heart twinge in her chest. He'll probably stay the same grumpy, person he is. _She hopes to God he will be okay without her._

By the time they got back to the academy, it was mid-day, having returned from town rather quickly. They delivered the supplies to their designated areas, before the chairman returned to his office to have a meeting with the president of the hunters' association. The younger pair began preparing for sundown, steeling themselves for the screaming fan girls they'll have to fight off.

They were out near the stables, Zero was brushing Lily while Yuki stretched her body and tried to relax the tense muscles in her shoulders and back, so she can become more limber for the event ahead. It was one of those rare times where Zero isn't late, and the two can prepare and make it to their job together.

  
While she rolled her shoulder blades, the girl watched Zero's face carefully as he took care of the white mare.

  
His face was, for once, calm and un-crinkled. She could see wrinkles that are starting to form under his eyes, showing that he was aging prematurely from all the stress he encounters. From his anger at the night class, to his annoyance with Yuki sometimes, and just his fighting expression from being a hunter. He's tough, but he's been through a lot. She wishes she could do more to help him, and make him smile. But, even when she isn't sick, that is a hard task to accomplish.

Her face fell at the memories of how many times she's annoyed him, caused problems for him, and generally made his life harder.

 

' _Of course.'_

' _He'd be fine without me.'_

 

"Are we going to the night class dorm gates to do our jobs, or are you just gonna keep staring at me like a jealous girlfriend?"

Zero set the brush down before walking off leaving her in the dust, eyes shut in what seemed like annoyance. She blinked a few times blankly before processing what he said.

"EHHHHHH?"

She chased after him quickly, screaming the whole way. "I was not staring at you like a jealous girlfriend! You dummy! Get back here! Argh!" They bantered back and forth on their way, arguing playfully.

* * *

Their jobs went rather smoothly. Well, as smooth as keeping screaming fan girls at bay could be. The night class, as majestic as ever, paraded out as usual. Aidou, of course, was the first to rush out and greet his adoring fans. Kaname asked Yuki how she was doing, as he always does, smiling softly at her flustered expression from just being in his presence. It was obvious to anyone watching that they had deep feelings for each other, and that right there made Zero clench his fists.

Still, he remained silent. It wasn't his business what she did with that pureblood bastard. He didn't deserve Yuki, anyways, but then again...neither did Kaname. In Zero's eyes, Yuki was too pure for either of them. Like a blinding light in the darkness, seeking to fill up everything with happiness.

 

He thought of her smile, her laugh, her bravery.

 

Yes. She was clumsy, silly, and naive. She threw herself into situations that didn't involve her, and messed those situations up when she did.

 

But she was just _so damn brave._

 

The bravest, most wonderful person he's ever met. She would face the darkest, most vile monster with a warm expression and open arms, even if it is considered foolish.

 

Zero looked over at her. She was currently motioning for the girls to go back their dorms since the night class had already left, energetic and happy.

 

_She was amazing._ Zero would be content just being by her side.

 

Yet, deep down inside Zero, a part of him wanted to believe that if Yuki knew that he stared at her just as much as she stared him, then she could let Kuran go.

 

 

And like _him_ instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for reading! For now on, it will be a day by day segmented story. I WILL skip around days because 60 chapters is too much lol.
> 
> P.S: I firmly believe that Yuki Cross is a cinnamon roll, too good, too pure for this world (well, at least when she was human) and you can put that on a friggin t-shirt. She is not an annoying character and you need to get out if you think otherwise.


	4. 5th Day of Sickness

_**5th day of sickness. (55 days left)** _

* * *

 Yuki rubbed her eyes and yawned as the teacher droned on. She was pretty drowsy from her night-patrols.

Even though she gives her all to protect the students from vampires, the teacher does nothing to help her out with letting her get some rest. This is because he does not know.

So, he punishes her like any other student when he catches her sleeping. Of course, a part of her is grateful for this. If he treated her different from the other students and let her sleep in peace, not only would her grades fall dramatically (and she was already doing horribly), but the other girls would just add that to the list of "privileges that the daughter of the chairman gets". They would bully her even worse.

Yuki would just have to breathe and stay awake. She rested her head on the palm of her hand.

Yes, stay awake.

But, she's just…. Would it hurt to sleep for a little bit…?

' _Surely not… Just a few minutes to refresh my mind…'_

* * *

Yuki jolted awake and looked around. Her eyes trailed to the window, beyond it, lay a beautiful orange and red sunset. She remembered where she was and stretched contentedly. That few minute nap really did her wonders….

Her illusion cracked when she noticed that the only one in class was her. "Oh no…", she trailed off and shook her head. "Not again!" She stood up and began to run out of the class.

"Not so fast, Cross." She cringed and stiffened up at the sound of her teacher's voice. "Do you know how many times you have fallen asleep in class and missed the lecture entirely?"

' _I don't get it. Did I really miss the lecture?'_ , Yuki thought gloomily, ' _Because, I'm pretty sure that I'm getting one right now.'_ The teacher continued on. "I am genuinely asking you because, I have lost count. You are irresponsible, and you are failing all of your classes!"

Yuki looked up at the clock. The night class are about to leave their dorms. She needed to get down there and keep the peace! Especially if Zero decided to ditch today! "I know I haven't been very attentive in class lately, but I must get to the gates to do my duty as a prefect-" Yuki jumped back in surprise when the teacher threw a piece of chalk at her.

"No! I am not letting you get off this time and that is final. You must realize that your actions have consequences and I think that….." Yuki face palmed as he went into detail about how much he disliked her and how she is going to fail if she doesn't change.

* * *

After receiving grueling scolding by her teacher, Yuki finally walked out of the classroom, calmly. She walked for a bit until she halted in place and looked around for any sign of that teacher. When she found none, she began running down the halls and outside, her boots connecting with concrete and making a thud sound with every step. It was still afternoon, and if she could make it to the moon dorm gates within a matter of minutes, she could still do her job.

Her steps slowed and came to a stop when she saw that all of the girls had already disbanded. The night class walked by Yuki silently, and she bowed to them instinctively.

"Hrm... Where's Zero?". Yuki asked herself softly, waiting for the rest of the night class to pass her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Ruka.

  
"Ah, Ruka-sempai! Um….H-How can I help you?" Despite Yuki's genuine polite question, the older girl had a annoyed look on her face.

  
"Did you hear? This was the first time Kiryuu performed his prefect duties by himself. He done a really good job considering that you didn't show up."

Yuki was slightly put back by her words. What was she talking about? Zero really had to do this all by himself? Why was she saying this to her? What's stuck up her butt? "That's   
great that Zero managed without me, but I didn't mean to-" Ruka ignored her and continued.

"Yes, in my opinion, Kiryuu did a fine job. Maybe you should consider quitting your job as a guardian, _since obviously we don't need you._ You're too _weak_ for that line of work anyways." Her sentence was filled with venom, that cut through Yuki like a knife. She looked down at the ground and thought about Ruka's words carefully.

Ruka smirked internally and expected Yuki to be shocked and hurt, yet what she wasn't expecting was for her expression to change to one of _emptiness._

" _You're right. I'm pathetic and weak. I'm wasting my time and others time as well when there is so little time to be spared. Maybe I will quit. I'll think about it."_

The harsh words Ruka had spoken touched a shadowed corner in Yuki. One that was still coming to terms with her inevitable death sentence.

The whispered line almost made the female vampire shiver. She sounded dull, like a black and white portrait. When she talked, her lips moved but her eyes went out of focus and lost the light in them. Ruka had never seen anything like it, and especially not on the human girl that smiled everyday no matter how cliché and annoying it was.

The only thing she could compare that look to, is one of a porcelain doll. Paralyzed, having gone insane from years of loneliness.

What the hell just went through the prefect's head?

"Wait, Cross, I was just-", Ruka went to apologize or justify herself depending on how one looks at it, but Kaname intervened.

"Ruka. That's enough. I'm going to have to talk to you once we get to class." Kaname stared at Ruka with a piercing glare. He was _pissed._ His features softened as he turned to the shorter girl. "Please, forgive her, Yuki. She must not be feeling well."

He smiled sadly at Yuki, and her spell was broken. A smile returned to the girl's face, as she was oblivious to the previous change in her demeanor. "It's alright, sempai.", she looked to Ruka. "I'm sorry that I couldn't make it to the gates to help out today. I'll make sure to do better tomorrow!"

Yuki bowed a final time to the both of them. As much as Ruka wanted to react to the whole situation, she was still shell-shocked by Yuki's previous mood swing. Kaname began to walk away, and Ruka loyally followed him.

 

" _When there is so little time to be spared."_

 

That sentence chilled her to the bone. What did that mean? It might have meant how vampires can live for centuries while humans only get eighty to a hundred years.

 

A concerned expression remained on her face she walked away with Kaname, every so often on the way, looking back at the human girl she knew she hated.

 

 

That was also the human girl she wishes to god she could comfort right now.

 

* * *

"Yuki, where were you?!", Zero shouted in her face for the umpteenth time. "I have a splitting headache from all of those girls constantly squealing about those beasts. And it was ten times worse I didn't have you pushing back half of them." She internally scoffed.

  
' _You slack out on work all the time, you dummy.'_

  
"I got detention, Zero! I'm sorry that you had to do it on your own, but that teacher wouldn't stop talking." Yuki shook her head, before rubbing her temples. Too many things   
have happened today and it all was starting to take a toll on her. Ruka's words kept echoing over and over in her head.

  
" _We don't need you."_

  
Zero raised an eyebrow at her fallen expression, before sighing in defeat. He could see how over-worked she was. "Yuki, it's alright. Just make sure it doesn't happen again, okay?" He ruffled her short, chocolate hair, with a small smile. "You go on to bed. I'll take care of night patrols." She opened her mouth to object. "But, Zero, we're partners, I have to help you-"

"I don't need you to patrol with me tonight, Yuki. You'll just slow me down.", He ended with. Her heart throbbed at his cold words. As much as she would want to disprove Ruka and Zero, and patrol tonight vigilantly, part of her believed they were right. She nodded reluctantly and her silver-haired companion walked off.

She then began to drowsily walked down the halls of the sun dormitory recapping the "highlights" of the day.

 

" _You're irresponsible…."_

  
" _We don't need you. You're too weak."_

  
" _I don't need you. You'll just slow me down."_

  
Yep, she's gonna have nightmares tonight.

 

Twilight fled through the windows, as the sun finally retracted behind the mountains. Yuki made the last trek up the stairs, and it was dark outside by the time she made it to her dorm room. She rubbed her eyes as she twisted the doorknob and entered. Ready to collapse in bed, her thoughts did a 180 degree spin.

  
Yori was sitting on the end of Yuki's bed, reading a letter.

  
She looked up at Yuki entering, with a sad look on her face, but unexpectedly, she wasn't surprised. She was calm and collected. The main expression she shown was confusion.

  
"Is this true, Yuki?" Her friend asked softly. Her voice formed in a whisper, trying to take in the news quietly. "Are you sick? Do you really...have cancer?"

  
Yuki's mouth opened but no sound came out. She didn't know what to say. What could she say? After all that's happened today, this was the last thing she could want to happen. Yet, there was no use lying to her best friend. Yori somehow always knew when there was something wrong. So, she simply walked over to her, and fell to her knees. Without another thought, Yuki laid her head in Yori's lap, groggily.

"Yuki?! Ah, Um…" Her eyes widened as her friend rested her head in her lap.

"Yes. I wanted to keep it a secret from everyone. I don't want anyone worrying about me. I feel fine. _I'm_ fine. It'll be okay, Yori. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you right away, but how do I explain to my best friend that I have advanced stage blood cancer?"

Yori looked at the wall for a moment in thought, before rubbing Yuki's head in understanding. "It's okay. I'm here for you. You can always tell me about stuff like this. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

She sighed in relief at her friend's tranquility. She always seemed to be able to handle the most intense situations with a clear and leveled head, while Yuki would freak out in those same situations.

"You're an angel." Yuki came to that conclusion as she comically let out a puff of air while Yori sweat dropped. "I-I try." She was flattered at the compliment, but this situation was getting more awkward by the second. "Um…"

Finally realizing, what she had done and Yuki got up frantically. "Uh, s-sorry, Yori. I'm just sleepy. A lot has happened today. But, I'm glad you know. I'm happy that I don't have to hide that from you." Yuki hugged her friend before putting on her night-dress, and getting ready for bed.

Yori remained on the end of Yuki's bed, having already prepared for sleep, just staring at the letter.

Yori was still trying to take it in. It's hard to accept something like this within a few minutes, but she needed to be strong. She figured the last thing Yuki needed right now was someone bombarding her with questions and forcing their own worries upon her. So, While her friend prepares for bed, Yori kept a hand over her chin trying to absorb the words and understand the reality of what it means.

When Yuki finally came out, Yori only had one question for her.

"When do you plan to tell everyone?"

Yori handed the piece of paper to Yuki. In return, the brunette looked at it thoughtfully before ripping it up. She threw the shreds into the trash.

"I'm not going to tell them. What difference would it make if I tell them? Some will call me a liar, and say I'm just begging for attention. Others- Whom never cared about me or my well being in the past, will suddenly look at me like I'm beaten puppy. They'll probably confine me to a bed for the rest of my time, and that is not what I want. I don't want to be treated. I know that I…I…." Yuki let out a slow breath.

" _I know I'm going to die._ Though, I haven't quite….I haven't gotten a handle on that, yet." Yuki's voice broke, and she looked down, trying to remain composed. "I'll come to accept it more as the days go on. But one thing is for sure, I don't want to spend the time I have left in a clinic. People don't need to know. It's easier if they don't know. ...Okay?"

Yori, though a bit startled by her words and actions, hesitantly nodded. She would follow whatever Yuki decides to do. It wasn't her place to judge or say different. Yuki looked back to her friend and smiled kindly.

"Alright! G'night, Yori." Yuki clicked the light off. "Yeah. Goodnight, Yuki." They both got into their respective beds.

"And, Yori….Thank you. For listening...and being so nice to me. Not just now, but… for all the time that I've known you. Thank you for everything."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for reading! I apologize if this chapter wasn't to your tastes, and it took a while to get out. Aaaand the characters are a bit OOC.
> 
> ;^; Sorry.
> 
> Anyways the reason I'm taking so long, is while I am working on this chapter, I'm also working on like three other chapters. When my muse gets rolling, there's no stopping it and it just chomps and chomps. Yummy!
> 
> Hehehe. Be prepared for me to hand sadness to you like a bouquet of flowers~~ Mwuah!
> 
> P.S: I can see a funny version of Yuki laying her head in Yori's lap, where Yori is patting her head like "There, there." In chibi form. If someone can draw that for me, do it and send me a link! That would be suuuuuuper awesome! Okay, bye! Love you!


	5. 18th Day of Sickness

_**18th day of sickness (42 days left)** _

* * *

 

It started with a trip to the moon dorm. Yuki was sent to deliver mail to some students. She huffed as she repositioned the bag of mail on her shoulder. Today was just a normal day, with normal chores. Zero was missing and there was mail to be taken to the moon dorm.

During all of this, though, Yuki was feeling down. Each step towards the gate felt heavy, like she had an iron shackle and ball around her ankles. Today, she didn't have her usual preppiness or bounce to her manner today. It also didn't help that she had a killer migraine. So, today just wasn't a good day for her to be the one to do this errand. She practically begged the chairman to make Zero do it, and this of course surprised him.

Yuki always wanted to help out as a guardian, so seeing her blatantly refuse and request that her partner handle instead was very odd to him. Kaien shook it off and explained that Zero was in town, following a job that the hunter's association have given to him. She then asked about the maids or staff who usually took care of it. He shook his head and stated that the maids had their hands full with the ball being held in two days.

She gave in, knowing that if she didn't do it, one of her classmates will do it, and that is something that needed to be avoided at all costs. Yuki knew how to defend herself, but a regular student? It would be like a doe walking into a lion's den. Sticking a knife into a power outlet would get you better results. He patted the top of her head and sent her on her way, oblivious as ever to his adoptive daughter's discomfort.

Yuki reached the heavy wooden doors of the wall that separated the moon dorm from the rest of the academy. Yuki knocked on the door with the metal piece attached to it a few times. She was dreading this visit. She didn't want to do it. With every fiber of her being, she just wanted to throw the mail bag over the fence and be done with it.

But, this is her duty. This is her job. This is her life. She needs to at least get it over with.

She lifted her head and nodded at her thoughts. She raised her hand and knocked on the gate doors.

"Who goes there?", inquired the elderly gatekeeper whom was always there. She gathered all of the strength in her to build her mask of her usual self. She smiled and chirped, "Cross Yuki, Prefect! I have mail for the students-" She was interrupted by grumbles from the old man. "Yeah, Yeah. I was told to be expecting you. You may enter."

She stood back as one of the gate doors opened just enough to let her through. She took the time to swallow her fear, before stepping through.

Yuki quickly made her way to the moon dorm, walking as fast as she could. At least it was high noon, so the students were asleep. All she had to do was get in and out. She arrived at the main double her doors and entered.

The girl exhaled nervously at the sight of the inside, which was eerily quiet.

She made her way up the grand set of stairs, taking the right stairs this time, having flashbacks from the left.

She traveled down the right hallway, the dull sound of carpet under her boots' footsteps wasn't very comforting, but at least it broke the tense silence.

_Vampires…. Vampires will eat me…_

The little girl inside of Yuki screamed from within her. She didn't want to be here. Yuki didn't want to be here, either, but she had to be brave.

_I'm scared…._

The first door she came to was Takuma's door. She decided that it would be the best option just to slip any letters under their doors, and leave any packages outside.

She tried to be silent as possible, as to not wake anyone up. She knew deep down that it didn't matter how quiet she was, vampires' senses could tell where she was at any point currently from the sound of her heartbeat. Especially since she was currently nervous, and an elevated heartbeat would give her away.

Before she continued, she stopped for a moment. She needed to calm down. She needed to slow her heart rate. She thought about the training the chairman gave her.

She closed her eyes and simply listened.

A calm expression fell on her face as her thoughts settled down.

She thought of snow, imagining the very corridor she was in had snowflakes coming through the ceiling. She imagined that the entire building was abandoned and destroyed, as if it was racked by a nuclear fallout. It may have seemed as an odd thought for a young woman such as her to have, but it wasn't seen as such to her. She wasn't thinking in a manner that was destructive. She was thinking about the silence that would follow the image in her mind. The quietness of fallen ash that settles among rubble. It soothed her.

Soon, all she could hear was her breath. Puff of air releasing from her mouth, and inhaled back through her nostrils. The world around her went numb, as she tried to replace the current area in reality with the one behind her eyelids.

Though Yuki wouldn't dare consider herself a hunter, all hunters knew how to do this. To lose oneself in a form of meditation, so that one could calm their heart rate. It's dangerous and difficult to accomplish, though. Since one not only has to go into a meditative state in the middle of a combat or caution zone, but also are completely blind to whatever happens around them, exposing themselves, putting them at risk. But, if a hunter was trapped, or hidden in a certain area, where their only hope is to be silent, this is the best option.

One basically has to learn how to curl up inside themselves. It's not as easy as thinking about something that makes them happy, that has a chance of increasing their heart rate. They have to think of something that _calms_ them, whatever that might be. Zero, for example, thought of a river in the middle of a sun-soaked forest. Of course, he would only tell Yuki this after she begged him when she was having trouble finding her own "place of peace".

She didn't exactly know why her peace was a grey, decaying, winter covered world. Maybe her heart relates with the isolation and solitude, trusts it. The silence in her world causes her thoughts to become quiet, when they are usually pure noise and non-stop traffic.

_It's a sanctuary for the tired._

Usually, Yuki can't manage to do this. She can manage it a few seconds, but that's it. Her mind is always so busy during her patrols, that she can't utilize this method.

But, right now she's slipped into the world for a few minutes. She can feel the cold snowflakes falling on her skin, settling.

Was it working because she was sick?

Her quickened heart began to slow and become stable.

After a few minutes of standing amongst the rubble and rebar of the night class dorm, she finally could hear the wind, howling through the air. That's when how she knew where to stop. When she can physically hear the wind, she has to stop.

Or else she could get lost forever.

All hunters know this, and all know where to stop in their "places". Some have been lost, but usually those who do, chose it.

A hand on her shoulder from behind caused her meditation to shatter against the ground like large pieces of mirror.

In a split second, her rod was out and held up to her assailant's neck. This was the fastest she's ever unsheathed and disengaged Artemis, let alone while facing the other way from an attacker.

That's another perk of breaking out of meditation.

It makes one sharp.

"Whoa, Cross-chan. That was quick. That was a guardian trick, wasn't it?" Yuki's face remained empty and stern as Aidou's hand still gripped her shoulder. "You were meditating weren't you? Your heartbeat is so slow…"

"Aidou-sempai...", Yuki started, trying to retain the state of mind she had before. She tried to brush off Aidou's hand, but he wouldn't budge.

"Oh, your heart fluttered a bit. Did I scare you, Cross?", he teasingly smirked,"You're cute when you're scared, you know that? You're so wound tight with that good two shoes act, yet you're so _weak_ for a human, even though-"

"-of me."

The noble vampire looked down her confused when she interrupted his sentence. He laughed it off, "Anyways, as I was saying before you rudely-"

"I said, 'Let go of me.'. Do not make me slam this hunk of enchanted iron into you, because God help me, I will, Idol.", she stated grimly. Yuki's face remained pointed the other way, so Hanabusa couldn't read her expression. Not that he needed to, since her voice told it all.

He was agast. "Did you just threaten me, Cross?" His eyes narrowed aggressively as he took a step away from her, letting go of her shoulder.

"That's uhm…" Aidou usually had all of the words to say, he was quite the silver-tongued devil, if he says so himself, but now… He was scrambling for words. This just didn't seem like her. He had never seen her threaten someone so seriously. "That's very… Uhm… weak of you to... I mean… C-Cross…" Aidou got a grip of himself, and finally formed a complete sentence, with a hateful tone. "Tch. What's your problem, you midget? The only thing I did was touch your shoulder." A peeved Aidou wasn't a pretty sight to behold, but…

A lightbulb went off in his head and he smiled darkly. He backed up with his hands in the air defensively. He was momentarily shocked by the fact Yuki was so calm, but he quickly used a smug grin to cover it up.

"Hey... Sorry, Cross~ I was just trying to get your attention, seeing how you spaced off. No harm, no foul, right?" Yuki turned her head slightly over her shoulder at him, her chocolate locks covering her face. A few seconds passed before she raised her rod slightly and shook it firmly once. Artemis's sides closed in on each other and it compacted itself back to its dormant form. She slid it back into her holster when she bent down to place mail in front of a door.

Aidou glanced over at her prepared to make a insult, but he faltered when he finally saw her eyes.

' _What the hell?'_

Her expression was hollow and empty like Seiren's.

His roguish exterior fell.

"Cross, _**what is going on with you**_?"

"Here's your mail, Sempai." Yuki said softly, not answering his question. She passed over a few letters, before trekking down the hall. Aidou tossed them into his room as fast he could so he could follow the brunette, who's mood just swung.

After she put down mail at the next door, only realizing that Aidou was there when she leaned back up. "Idol- I mean Aidou-sempai, why are you following me? Why don't you get some sleep, I'm sure that you'll need it for class tonight." She forced a smile with an annoyed expression.

"Well, I want to help you, a fragile human like yourself shouldn't tax yourself with such... Laborious tasks." Yuki shrugged and shoved some random pieces of mail into his hands. Aidou let out a "Hmph.." as she continued on her mission. He thought she would have retaliated at his half-insult, but she just commented that it was nice of him to help.

From there, her job got a lot more difficult. She was trying to keep on point and not be a complete butt head to Aidou, but it was getting harder by the minute due to the fact that he was hell bent on giving her problems as they put out the mail in front of each door. First, it was the insults here and there that Aidou attempts to give charmingly to Yuki. Then, it was pushing her by "accident" and her head colliding into a door or wall once or twice. The comments about how he hoped she hadn't her spilt any of her "delicious" blood, afterwards, didn't help either.

Yuki let out an exasperated breath at Aidou boasting about himself and talking about fangirls. She's almost done. All she's gotta do is two more doors.

The voice that she's heard since she was a child…. The woman's voice spoke inside of her again.

_You know your time is limited, right? Why are you wasting it here? You could go anywhere. Do anything. Why spend the precious time you have left locked in a cage?_

"I can't be selfish. I still have time. I can think like that…. Later…" Yuki shook her head firmly.

"Wow, Cross-chan! Have you not had a boyfriend for so long that you've gotten use to talking to yourself?" Yuki rolled her eyes at that.

"I've never had a boyfriend, Aidou.", she deadpanned.

"Well, that explains a lot of things. And it's to be expected with that flat-chest and dull face-"

Yuki snapped and turned around to look at him as all insults finally filled her up and overflowed.

She lifted the bag off of her head and threw it at him.

"That is it! I am so sick of it, Aidou. I'm sick of the games. I'm sick of the mockery. I'm sick of you making my life a living hell," Without fear or hesitation, she closed in nearly inches from his face, staring into his shocked ice blue eyes, "And I am sick of _you._ "

"So, your true colors finally show, prefect." Aidou stated coldly, not backing down.

Yuki's eye brows furrowed. "True colors? _True colors_?! Are you serious?! Agh!" The blond vampire's face filled with confusion when Yuki backed away and paced around the room in aggravation.

She stopped and looked up to him, her face red with hidden tears. "What have I done to you?"

"Huh?", Aidou asked confusedly, her change of moods unsettlingly quick.

"All I have been the entire time I have known you was pleasant. Sure, I-I have been stern and strict when on patrol, but I was just doing my job! And you were considering hurting those girls! I have tried so, _so_ hard to help out and try to make peace with you. But you're just so freaking arrogant and disrespectful-"

"Hey, wait a minute-"

"No! Shut up and listen!" Yuki yelled unabashedly. Aidou flinched but remained silent out of shock.

"You don't know. You don't know, okay? You don't know what I go through every day. How _hard_ it is to smile and be positive when it seems the whole world doesn't want you to. Then, people like you who are constantly trying to make me miserable come along. Well, news flash: You aren't helping."

Yuki remained strong and blunt in her words. She was just so angry. She couldn't hold that fire inside of her any longer. She wasn't going take being bullied by that snobby vampire noble anymore.

"Listen closely, okay? I. Do. Not. Want. To. Be. Enemies." Every word was said mockingly slow, but Yuki was genuinely just trying to get him to understand.

"Get that? I've been trying to bridge the gap between humans and vampires, and finally do some good on this god forsaken earth. And what are you doing? Being cruel to me and trying to prove… I dunno that I'm evil? Or something? It's like you're specifically out to make me the bad guy, when I'm not, Dammit! You...Ruka-sempai...Kain-sempai….." Yuki held back the tears fiercely. She needed to remain strong. No crying was allowed, yet she couldn't stop her voice breaking as she said her next sentence, "All of you resent me….but, the sad part is, I don't know why."

She took a deep breath, stopping her pacing and looking eye to eye with Aidou. Her mouth fell agape as her eyes stung with tears that she refuses to let fall. "I don't know why. I don't what I have done to make you dislike me so much or what I could do to make that better. That's why I work so hard every night. So, that…..", Yuki trailed off.

Aidou remained silent. He didn't know what to say.

Yuki misinterpreted this silence as disapproval and skepticism over her words. ' _I knew it. Nothing I can say with make it better. They'll never see me as their equal. This was a waste of time.'_

"Fine. If you hate me so damn much, then don't worry. You won't have to _tolerate_ me in a month or so. Congratulations." Every word was spewed with hate, but an obvious sorrow buried underneath that even Aidou could recognize.

Aidou did say something this time. "What?"

He didn't understand. What pushed her over the edge? He could have said he flat out hated her and wished her dead, and she would have just got annoyed a week or so ago.

But now…

_She was nearly in tears._

He looked down the ground, guiltily.

"Yuki…. Are you thinking of leaving Cross Academy?" Aidou kept his eyes on the dark carpet as he uncovered his false truth.

She snapped out of her trance.

She placed a hand over her mouth when she realized what she said. She took a step back from Aidou.

Her eyes pointed towards the left, aimlessly, before they darted back to him as she noticed something.

"Wait, did you just call me… _Yuki_?", she repeated quietly.

' _What have I done? He just called me Yuki! He has never called me by my first name! It's always been "Cross", or "Cross-chan", and one time it was "flat-chested midget". But never_ _Yuki.  Or at least he's never called me that seriously. _ _Oh, Now, he's asking questions! No. No! God, I'm so stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Change the subject!'_

"I...I'm sorry, sempai. I didn't mean to…", Yuki trailed off. Her breathing became shallow and more erratic. She froze as something gripped her that was similar to fear, yet wasn't at the same time. The destructive feeling wrapped around her heart, her mind, and her lungs, constricting the breath out of her. It was like someone had taken the oxygen out of the room, or that she fell out of a tree and had the wind knocked out of her.

It felt like it filled her stomach with nails and her lungs with acid. Her chest heaved violently she tried to draw breath, pitiful wheezing sounds escaped her.

Aidou blue eye's widened when his vampiric hearing caught something very off.

"Whoa, Whoa! Cross, your heart is… It's going crazy! Listen, It's beating _**way**_ too fast, Like your having a heart attack or something! Are you okay?", Aidou looked at her panickedly, not having the faintest clue as to what set her heart off.

Yuki had to get out. She had said too much and this feeling was… was….

' _I can't breathe!'_

Yuki placed a hand over her chest and ran out of the halls, past Aidou, stumbling on the way. She stumbled and fell against wall after wall but she pushed on. She had to get outside. Fresh air may be her only hope to stop her from hyperventilating.

Once she got to the sent of grand stairways, she pressed herself to the wall and placed her palms flat against it to let her get down to the bottom safely. Yet, even then she fell to the ground once she got to the bottom, gasping for air.

She finally got to the big doors that led outside and slammed her body as hard as she could against them to get out. The chill against her skin from the autumn air her felt like a fish being doused in water. Nearly instant relief. She took a minute to lean against a tree and catch her breath.

Yuki felt tears well up in her eyes as she turned, pressing her back into the bark of the tree. She just did something she never thought she'd do.

She couldn't take it. It was too much for her.

She tried to keep it together, but she was cold, rude, and….

' _Oh god…'_

She thought she could handle it, but she has to accept the reality.

_She just had an anxiety attack._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh mah gahd. Q_Q I had no idea how to go about this chapter in a way where I could get Yuki to stay in character and to get my ideas to happen. So, yes. She's OOC for this one. Majorly. But, I gave your fair warning in the description that she ain't gonna it take no more! *shakes fist to sky rebelliously* As for Aidou… Aww frick I mean I didn't want to make him magically care, so I did the best I could…. Just hang in there, guys. It'll get better. *kisses all of my readers' foreheads* Thank you for reading! You guys are awesome!


	6. 20th Day of Sickness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: IMPORTANT! The ending of this chapter has been edited as of 10/18/2016. Major credit to the lovely "Lady Of The Fates" whom co-authored, provided ideas, and helped this story become better. Thank you!

_It's so strange that Autumn is so beautiful,_

_Yet everything is dying."_

_~ Wood Ford_

_**20th day of sickness. (40 days left.)** _

Students began getting the ballroom ready for the evening's events. The Autumn ball was being held, and Yuki didn't want to miss it. This would be the last chance she had to go to a ball. Kaname-sempai very generously sent her a dress like the first ball, but she sadly declined to wear it. She and Yori had already decided on a dress and Yuki wanted something womanly for her last ball. She really wanted to wow people, and Yori being the understanding, kind person she is, helped put money forth for her dress.

Sunset closed in and the pair started getting ready in their room. Yori decided on a peach dress to compliment her eyes, with pearl earrings. Yuki gasped and let Yori know how wonderful she looked many times.

Yori practically pushed Yuki into her dress when she saw that she was still in her uniform. "Okay, Okay. I'll put it on-"

Yuki's words were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Who is it?", Yori asked.

"It's Zero. There's a package for your friend, Yuki. I'll leave it here. Tch. Next time, get someone else to be your delivery boy." The girls could practically hear Zero puff as his footsteps sounded back down the hallway. Yori chuckled softly before getting up from the bed she was sitting on.

"I'll get the package. You get dressed, okay?" Yori opened the door quietly and left the room. For a moment Yuki had stared at her friend, idly, as she exited their room. Her movements flowed like wind with an elegance that she didn't even have to try have. Gentleness ran through Yori's very being, and even all of the boys in the class agreed that she was very pretty. Sometimes she seemed emotionless, and stone-like, but she wasn't clumsy and dumb like Yuki was. And if she was stone, she was a statue of colored glass, filtering the sun's rays and scattering a rainbow onto the ground.

Getting back to the task at hand, Yuki tried to reach the zipper in the back of her dress and comically tried very hard to do by herself. She fell down with a big thump, but got up quickly. She finally managed to zip it up, as Yori re-entered the room. Yuki let out a contented breath as the box fell from Yori's hands. Yuki turned around and looked to see what the noise was, to see her best friend with her hand over mouth in utter shock.

"Yori? What's wrong?" Yuki ran over to her friend, afraid for her safety.

"Yuki… You look so beautiful.", Yori's eyes built up with tears. Yuki's expression relaxed into a gentle one.

"Yori...I….Thank you, but what is-"

Yori started to sob silently. After a few moments,she wrapped her slender arms around Yuki's form. "This shouldn't be your last dance, Yuki! This shouldn't be the last dress you'll ever decide to wear…. This shouldn't be the last time that I'll get to go dress shopping with you. You don't deserve this! Oh god…" Yuki's were wide as saucers as she remained frozen in her roommate's arms. Yori has never broken down like this in front of Yuki, yet here she was, trembling in her arms.

"Y-Yori….I-I….I'm okay. I'm living everyday like it's my last. I've had a good life and I still have a month and a half left." Yuki swallowed back her tears and tried to be strong for her friend. She softly pushed her back and looked into her eyes with a smile. "Let's not waste the time we have left together, and go make the boys blush." Yuki winked before walking over to her bed. Upon it laid the sash that a prefect wears around their arm with the academy insignia. She sighed before she hesitantly pulled it onto her arm, but Yori intervened.

"No. Not tonight." Yuki looked at her surprised as her usually calm friend threw down the sash. She sniffled then pulled her over to the mirror and looked over her shoulder at the reflection. "Look at you. You look amazing." As much as Yuki wanted to deny it instantly, she _did_ look good! She adorned a dress that hugged and accentuated every curve she had. Yuki was always self-conscious of her body and felt that it was straight like a board, especially around her chest. The uniform didn't help, making her seem almost child-like, but the dress she bought was different. It took what little beauty she had in her body and emphasized it.

The dress she was wearing was dark blue, and tight around her waist and upper body, but flowed out and cascaded over the ground once the material her feet. Her whole back was bare, and had small crystal beads strung in lines over her feminine shoulder blades, and down her lower back. In the front, the lower part of the dress, was sewn to lift the dress and expose her smooth, pale legs below the knees.

Though she would never admit to herself, she was the essence of maturity and grace. Finally, she completed the look with navy blue high heels that strapped around her ankle and another two line of crystals ran to the tip of her feet in the formation of an "X", which then another strap of blue held it all in place. For one night, she could be the opposite of everything people expected of her. This is the last time she will be able to dress this way, so she had every right to wear something a bit revealing and lovely.

"A woman looking like you do shouldn't have to be watching other people constantly. They should be watching you. Don't go in the ballroom as Yuki Cross, Prefect. But as Yuki Cross, a gorgeous woman with her whole life ahead of her. You take on the world everyday, I think you deserve a break. Don't be shy tonight. Go in there and show them what confidence looks like." Yuki smiled softly at her friend's words and nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Yori."

Yuki walked over to her unopened make up kit, while Yori opened the package. She can't remember the last time she's put on makeup. Yuki leaned close to the mirror, brushing her fingers over the dark circles under eyes that has appeared from crying and simple lack of sleep. She shook her head softly before picking up some pale lipgloss. She didn't want to go light at her last dance, but she was too afraid to-

Yuki's thoughts were interrupted when Yori angrily plucked the lip gloss from her fingertips. Yuki let out a yelp of surprise as her friend pushed her down onto one of the twin beds. Yori turned back around emotionlessly to the makeup box, picking out a deep, smooth red. Yori took off the top and twisted the bottom to push the lipstick out of it's plastic shell. She then walked back to Yuki, grasping her chin gently, and brought the lipstick to her face. Yuki remained silent and trusted her friend. If she thought Yuki would look better in this, then who was she to disagree?

Yori dragged the lipstick over the girl's lips until the maroon color drenched her pouty lips. She put the top back on the lipstick and set it side. She then took out foundation and touched up the dark bags under Yuki's eyes, making them disappear cosmetically. Yori then applied mascara and light blush, leaving it there. Yuki was glad for it. Eyeshadow, and eyeliner just wasn't Yuki. She wanted to look womanly, not a fake-looking doll.

Yuki smiled at at her reflection, getting up to get a closer look and touch her own face, almost in disbelief. "There. Now all we need is this, and you're ready." Suddenly, a diamond necklace was pulled around Yuki's necklace. Yuki let out a shuddered breath as her friend clasped it together so it will hold. "Yori… This is beautiful. Where did you get this?"

"It came in that package that just came for me. It's from my father. It's a family heirloom. That necklace belonged to my grandmother, and hers before that.", Yori replied simply. Yuki turned around sharply to look at her friend surprisedly. "Oh… I can't take this. You should wear it tonight. If it's a family heirloom it must be very special to you."

"Hush, Yuki. It looks better on you than it would on me. Besides, you're not _taking_ it. I suppose I'll get it back soon… One way or another…" A sad expression fell upon Yori as she brushed strands of hair out of her friend's face.

Yuki's face softened in thought before she nodded with a sad smile. "Thank you, Yori."

"You're welcome.", Yori stated while checking her makeup in the mirror beside Yuki one last time. Yuki looked up at the clock to see what time it was and grabbed Yori's hand before bolting out the door. "Let's go! We're going to be late!"

The pair rushed outside, hurriedly making their way to the ball. The night nipped at their skin, the final glimpses of sunlight disappearing beyond the horizon. Yuki, looked up at the sky as she ran with her friend. A happy, yet sad smile covered her face, as she gazed at star filled sky. There wasn't a cloud out tonight, so thousands of stars glittered the portrait that was the sky, bright as ever.

"Look, Yori. Look how beautiful… The stars…", she said between pants, her breath visible from the cold.

Yori smiled softly and nodded. "They are quite beautiful tonight, aren't they?"

The feeling Yuki had right now was indescribable. Even though the dress she was wearing was tight, and her feet were beginning to hurt from running in them, she didn't want this to end. She wanted to run forever, right under these stars. If she could have that, she wouldn't ask for anything more. She turned her head to look forward before she could start crying.

When they arrived outside of the location, they stopped to catch their breath. Yuki leaned over, bracing herself on her knees.

She didn't even notice that Zero had been standing there until he spoke, making her jump. "What took you two so long? I've been waiting outside here for an hour, you idiots!"

Yuki nearly gritted her teeth, leaning up to yell at him, "We're girls, Zero! Do you forget that every so often?! If you didn't want to wait, then you should have…", Yuki trailed off as she saw Zero's face, "... Gone… inside…."

She was dumbstruck, she's never seen Zero like this. The usual "All stone, anger and pain" Zero was trying to frantically cover up the Zero that stood before her. He kept his eyes averted from her, the entirety of his cheeks covered in a deep shade of pink.

' _Oh my god- OH MY GOD! He's blushing? He is! He's never blushed before! Who has made him blush? Is it someone I know?'_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Zero bashfully mumbling words so jumbled that one could barely understand them, but Yuki heard him loud and clear.

"You… Uh… That's… Um… _Shit._ Y-You look very nice tonight, Y-Yuki…."

"Oh! Thank you, Zero!" Yuki twirled around in her dress childishly for emphasis, as oblivious as ever.

"No doubt trying to look your best for Kaname Kuran?", his tone grew cold again, his blush fading.

Yuki surprised him by giggling, "I think Yori and I can both agree that tonight, Well…" His eyes were wide as saucers as she passed by him gracefully, entering the light-filled ballroom.

"Tonight, I'm doing this for me."

* * *

Yuki smiled brightly as she saw the dancing students. The women all wore various colors and dresses, while the men wore their uniforms. She felt a few pairs of eyes on her, and knew she made the right choice on this dress.

"Cross Yuki." She turned towards the source of the voice to see Akatsuki.

"Kain-sempai! I hope you're having a good time. Something you needed?"

"Yes. Dorm-head Kuran regrets that he could not make it to tonight's festivities. He wanted me to apologize to you personally, Cross. He had some business with the council that couldn't wait."

"Of course. I understand." Kain was surprised to see the girl simply walk away, seemingly brushing the information off. In reality, Yuki was a little bit relieved. As much as she wanted to dance with him tonight and have a chance to be near him- She always seems to fall apart in public with him. She really needs to talk to him when others aren't around, when they're safe from eavesdropping students.

' _Although, this will be the last ball I will ever attend… It would have been nice to dance with Kaname one last time.'_ Yuki shook her head slowly. She can't be sad right now. This night isn't about Kaname. It's about a girl in the prime of her youth, with her whole life ahead of her.

Splitting away from Yori and Zero, Yuki decided to walk around for a bit. It was a habit to do her patrol routes, but she really didn't have that mindset currently. She was just trying to soak it all in- The music, the people… The sights…. The feelings. She wanted to remember it like the back of her hand, so she could keep it in her soul.

Then her eyes caught the sight of Aidou. He was dancing with one of his fans and- ' _Damn.'_ His blue eyes met with hers. She didn't look away, or flinch, for some reason, right now… She didn't have that in her. So, she smiled at him.

That's it, no undertone, nothing. She just smiled.

It caused the noble's eyes to widen momentarily. He broke away from his dance partner, whispering something obviously charming in her ear. His fan blushed and happily ran off to dance with someone else.

He then approached Yuki, gathering her into his arms. "Care for a dance?"

She nodded, letting him place his hand in hers and the other on her hip.

They were quiet, both unsure what to say, but it was a rather peaceful quiet.

Aidou soon started speaking with a chuckle , "You need to get it together so I can start bullying you again, Cross-chan." He smiled genuinely at down at her.

Yuki half-heartedly glared at him, making him feign a face of fear.

She went quiet before softly saying, "I'm sorry for yelling at you the other day."

Aidou faltered in his footing at her apology. Before he could say anything, she clarified. "I just…. I had a lot on my mind. That's all. I didn't mean to snap at you like I did. Even if it that doesn't mean anything to you, I just wanted to clear the air because-"

"Please don't leave."

"H-Huh?", Yuki asked confusedly as their movements stilled.

A slight pink brushed over his cheeks. "You're going to make me say it again?" He sighed, "Okay, I don't much care for you. But, Kaname does and I know it would…. Damn it. It would destroy him if you were to leave."

He took a long breath before continuing, "And besides. We may not tell you enough, or you may not realize it, but you're needed here. Also, if you tell anyone I said this, I'll sneak into your room in the middle of the night and make it freezing in there while you sleep!"

He leaned his head down to her ear and whispered, "Things around here just wouldn't be the same without you running around like the fool that you are." He pulled away, closing his eyes and resuming the dance. "So, cheer up, okay? Stay here at the academy."

Aidou opened one of his eyes to peek and was surprised to see Yuki's face fall into a peaceful state. "That's the thing you don't realize, either… You may make me mad but… Well… People like Kaname-sempai and Ichijou-sempai… Um… How do I put this…?", She chewed her lip nervously. "They keep it… bottled up inside. I can never tell what their thinking because they're so unpredictable, and then they cover it even further."

She smiled brightly, making sure her voice didn't break, "But, you have never done that, at least not to me. You've always said what you were thinking whether that be an insult or what have you. The point is…" Aidou's eyes widened at what he heard next.

"I trust you because of that. Because…. You lay everything out on the table. You're the only one in my life who has never lied to me or tried to deceive me. Whether you like to admit or not, sempai, you have an honest heart."

Yuki smiled softly at him, and it reminded him of a spring meadow.

He unconsciously tightened his grip on her smaller hand before letting go of it.

He closed his eyes, and Yuki let go of his hand to go elsewhere. He watched her as she left, one of his fans running over excitedly. He started to dance with the fan absently, his face blank. The fan talked happily but, his mind was somewhere else. He was frozen internally, because finally understood.

He understood why Kaname-sama cares for her.

* * *

Yuki smiled as she made her way up the grand ivory staircase which let to the raised elegant walkways. A few people were up there, but not many. She walked around until she found her friend sitting on one of the benches. "Already done with dancing?", Yuki asked.

She sat down beside Yori as she replied, "I could ask you the same thing. Shouldn't you be down there mingling and having a good time?" The brunette shrugged.

"What about you, Yori? I thought you were meeting a date here."

"He ditched me to dance with one of the night class students."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Yori…"

She smiled and shook her head, "That's alright. I didn't feel so bad when I found out that he was wanting to dance with a _male_ night class student."

"Oh?... _Ohhh."_ The pair started to giggle at the notion.

Yori's face suddenly grew serious, her voice quieting down. "... How are you feeling, Yuki? Are you in any pain?"

She shook her head. "No. Not yet, at least…."

Yuki sighed softly, then got up from the porcelain bench and moved to the edge of the balcony. There, she stared down at the dancing students, while Yori waited patiently for her best friend. Yuki smiled softly and closed her eyes. In her mind, the music became numb as a sense of peace filled her. She leaned against the railing with her forearms. She softly hummed a rather sad song that Yori didn't recognize. It made her heart clench in sadness. The tune was beautiful, yet you could hear the longing that was rooted underneath.

Suddenly a crash and a female scream was heard below. Her friend gasped in surprise at the loud noise. Yuki's instincts snapped, causing her to grip the railing with both hands, her fingertips digging into the stone.

Rigid, she scanned the dance floor for any sign of an attacker or scene.

Any number of things could have happened, the worst scenarios running through her head.

' _I'm still a guardian, and by God, I'm not going to let one of these students get hurt.'_

As the room went quiet, Yuki finally decided not to wait any longer. She prepared to leap over the railing, when she realized that her dress wouldn't allow it.

She kneeled down, getting ready to rip the bottom if the dress-

"But- Ruka-sempai! I'm sorry! Please! I just want you to like me!" Yuki froze, before popping back up to look down at the bottom floor again.

"Oh dear. There goes our class president." Yori said with concern as a boy with glasses rushed through the crowd after the tall woman.

"Leave me alone, you little freak!" She growled as she made her way out side.

"Oi, what happened?", Zero asked.

One of the male students replied, "Pres tried to put the moves on sempai. She nearly tossed the entire bowl of punch at him."

Yuki let out a shaky breath of relief. ' _Oh it was… something normal.'_

As the situation set in, Yuki hunched over.

She tried to be quiet but before she knew it, she was tearing up.

"Pfffft, Hahaha!"

Yuki busted out laughing. She couldn't help it, she just lost it- Clutching her stomach in silly joy. The whole thing was just so _funny_ to her. She was so sure that they were getting assaulted by vampires, or that one the night class students went feral when it was just Kaseumi Kageyama running through the ball soaked head to toe with sticky liquid.

Yori jumped at her friend's random outburst, but started laughing just as hard as the seconds went by.

Although, The laughing caused Yuki to go into a coughing fit from the rough motion, but that didn't hinder them as they laughed up a storm.

Yuki's cough for some reason felt especially wet when she coughed in her hand.

She leaned back, and opened her eyes, which were tearing up from laughing so hard, and her laughter went dead silent, and with good reason.

Yuki just noticed that her hand is covered in crimson liquid.

She quietly asked, "Yori… C-Can you help me get back to our dorm?" Her tone was unrecognizable.

Yori stopped laughing and inquired, "We've only been here an hour, though. What's-" The girl with the peach colored hair's words left her as her eyes focused on Yuki.

"...Yuki?" Her friend was currently staring at her hand in what seemed to be horror. Yori walked over to see what she was looking at, causing Yori to gasp. "Oh, god, Yuki!"

' _They…. The vampires… will smell my…. my….'_

Yuki slipped into shock, her eyelids fluttering. She gently asked to her companion, her voice no louder than a whisper, "Please…. Will you help me get out of here without anyone seeing me? _Please?_ " Yori nearly broke down into tears at the desperation in Yuki's voice.

Yuki began to stumble as an intense wave of nausea and dizziness made the world spin.

Yori saw this, and quickly wrapped an arm around the brunettes shoulders, placing the other hand on her forearm. She was going to help her best friend, even if it killed her.

"Okay, I'm right here. We're leaving."

* * *

The room spun in Yuki's eyes, as Yori led her down one of the side set of stairs. The bright lights from the chandeliers didn't help her dizzy spell, and she struggled to keep upright. Right now, walking normally took an incredible amount of willpower and concentration. Yuki was intensely nervous right now, to the point of the feeling being fear. Her heart beat faster in her chest traitorously, and she could feel the onset of an oncoming anxiety attack.

_'Not again… We have to hurry… Can't give them enough time to figure out the smell is coming from me.'_

Yori, knowing that Yuki wants to hide her condition, made sure to take take a route that wasn't through the dancing crowd. Yuki kept her hand down, holding it close enough to be hidden, but not enough to stain her dress.

Night class students looked around alertly for the source of the sweet aroma that wafted through the air. Aidou's eyes widened, but he didn't falter in dancing with one of his fans.

Zero was currently leaned up against one of the walls, patrolling, when the scent drifted into his nostrils. Instead of confusion, Zero's head jerked sharply at the scent. He knew that smell. He put a hand up to his head, which had began pounding.

He mouthed the name.

"Yuki?"

* * *

The moment Yuki felt one two many pairs of eyes on her back, was when she started to get scared. She didn't want to think about how many pairs of those eyes were red.

She nearly cried out in joy when they neared the door, quickly speeding up her steps so they could rush outside.

Yuki let out a shaky breath of relief, but another worrying thought came to her mind.

_'If Yori takes me all the way back, there's a chance we might be followed. If one the night class students lose control, she could get hurt!'_

As Yori began determinedly trotting along, Yuki stopped in place. "Yuki…?", she asked, confused.

"Y-Yori,", she jammed her eyes shut so she could focus on speaking properly, "I'm feeling better. You go ahead and have a good time. I don't want to ruin your night just because I had a coughing fit."

"But, Yuki, it was more than that-"

"Yori, Really. I'll be okay. I'm going to head back to the dorm and lay down. I've got it from here."

Yori sighed, before nodding slowly. "Be careful, okay?"

Yuki faked a smile, "Okay."

The guardian waited as she watched her friend leave, using all of her might to not move a muscle even though everything else was moving around her.

When Yori was safely inside, she attempted to resume walking back to the dorm, only to stagger and fall. She caught the bark of a tree under her fingertips and used it brace herself.

She wasn't going to make it far, being this light-headed. She sat down, her eyes sliding shut as she tried to sit out the episode she was having.

Yuki lifted the blood-covered hand up to her face, opening her eyes to look at it. The blood has dried on her hand by now, causing her to look away in disgust.

"Yuki? Are you alright? I smelt the-" Yuki looked up so quickly that she got whiplash. It was Zero. He looked rather strained.

_'Crap, I've been caught. Gotta think quick.'_

His voice caught in his throat as he saw her hand which was drenched in maroon. His thirst kicked up a notch as he asked, "What happened? Did you hurt your hand?"

She was still very light-headed, but it was starting to fade, allowing her to stay still.

Yuki hoped he didn't see the click in her eyes as she lied, "Yeah! I fell and skimmed it when I caught my fall. I'm alright. I came out here so I wouldn't cause problems for the night class students."

"You fell?" Suspicion crossed Zero's face for a few seconds before he shook his head. "Your clumsiness is going to get you killed if you let it. You could have put the day class students in danger."

She laughed nervously, "Yep, that's me! Such Such a clutz, haha! I've-gotta-go." Forcing herself sober, she got up quickly, staggering a bit from her high heels.

Resisting the urge to bite her nails, she quickly started to walk away.

"Yuki, wait."

She froze in place, she didn't look back at him as she replied. "Yes?"

"If there was something wrong…. _You'd tell me, right?_ "

An indescribable expression crossed the girl's face, as she was facing away from him.

Her red lips quivered as she had to hold back tears. "Of course, Zero."

Only when she heard his footsteps recede, did she let a silent, single tear fall.

This was the first time that she's ever purposely lied to him.

She looked up at the sky, which was blurred through her tears. She sniffed and wiped them away, before running off, a thought clinging in her mind.

_'It really is a beautiful night…'_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please listen to this! This is the song Yuki was humming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiS1xQoQvKE
> 
> Don't worry! It's nothing stupid.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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